In the Name of Blossom Episode 7 Recap
> In the Name of Blossom Recap
One day, while He Weifang and Mu Dan were working in the courtyard, officials from the Palace Construction Department arrived. They began measuring the area, stating they were acting on the Royal Princess's orders. The Royal Princess had heard Lady Xiao Xuexi liked pavilions and balconies and planned to demolish the two dilapidated houses beside the garden to build a waterside pavilion for her.
Mu Dan was astonished, pointing out that these "dilapidated houses" were their residences and questioning why renovations for Xuexi would happen at the Jiang Mansion. He Weifang accepted the news calmly, telling Mu Dan it was a big matter and they would return to the Fragrance Garden. She then continued preparing the stage for Xuexi's birthday celebration. The stage was elaborately decorated with rose petals and a central peony design.
However, during the celebration, Xuexi invited guests to perform sword dances on the stage, damaging the delicate floral arrangements. He Weifang also noticed two tea cups Xuexi had prepared, inscribed with lines from a poem. Feeling unsettled, she left the celebration early and returned to her room. Later, under the influence of alcohol, Xuexi approached Jiang Zhangyang and leaned on him. Jiang Zhangyang calmly suggested she was drunk.
Xuexi insisted she was not and confessed she had liked him since childhood. She expressed regret over their separation during their youth but happiness at seeing him again in Chang'an. Jiang Zhangyang, understanding her feelings, explained that his words when they were young were spoken out of ignorance. He stated that after so many years, he could only regard her as a sister and would not marry her.
This clear declaration put an end to Xuexi's hopes; she accepted that he did not have romantic feelings for her. When officials began preparing to demolish He Weifang's residence, Jiang Zhangyang intervened, arguing sternly that it was his mansion and not even the Royal Princess could arbitrarily change his dwelling. Xuexi, hearing the argument, stepped forward and told the official to stop. She explained that she was only staying there temporarily and would soon move to the Royal Princess's residence.
With Xuexi's explanation, the official left. Xuexi then told Jiang Zhangyang she planned to leave the residence to travel and visit famous places before staying with the Royal Princess, expressing hope that he would resolve his own matters and discern his true feelings. She later discussed her travel plans with Mu Dan, clarifying that despite the situation, her friendship with He Weifang would remain unaffected and she wouldn't cause trouble or jealousy.
That night, Jiang Zhangyang returned to his residence and found He Weifang preparing roasted skewers. Seeing him, He Weifang managed a smile and told him she would be moving back to the Fragrance Garden the next day and this would be the last time she cooked for him there. Jiang Zhangyang was surprised. Hearing her reason was related to Xuexi's plan for renovating the garden, he realized He Weifang had misunderstood, unaware that he had stopped the demolition.
He responded lightly that the room would be empty and she was welcome back anytime if she wasn't busy. However, He Weifang stated firmly that she would not return and asked him to write the Concubine Release Document, saying their marriage was temporary and they shouldn't delay their proper lives. Jiang Zhangyang agreed to write the document and offered future assistance.
Later, Jiang Zhangyang discussed the matter with Sui Zhi, noting that He Weifang, who was previously his employee and now his ally, was busy restoring the Fragrance Garden. Meanwhile, He Weifang continued investigating the arson at the Fragrance Garden. She concluded that a substance called black fire oil had been transported into the garden in boxes and used to start the fire late at night. This oil was highly flammable and burned intensely, quickly engulfing the garden.
As such a prohibited item was not available to ordinary people, He Weifang suspected it originated from an official's household. Recalling Liu Chang had purchased cosmetics from her garden the day before the fire, she suspected Li Youzhen, motivated by jealousy, had hired water bandits to acquire the oil. Proving the water bandits were acting under Li Youzhen's orders was the challenge. Jiang Zhangyang learned He Weifang had captured two water bandits and immediately went to her.
He knew Li Youzhen had powerful backing (Prince Ning's circle, via Governor Ren) and these bandits, accustomed to a criminal life, would be difficult to make confess. Meeting at the Fragrance Garden, Jiang Zhangyang offered to interrogate the bandits, citing his experience with desperate individuals. He Weifang aimed to make Li Youzhen face consequences, while Jiang Zhangyang sought to target Prince Ning, whose private warehouse stored the black fire oil. Recognizing their shared objective, they decided to cooperate again.
To bring the matter to the Emperor's attention, they secretly set fire to Prince Ning's private warehouse after planting their people there to identify the oil's location. Jiang Zhangyang, explaining he did it for He Weifang and to prevent the oil from reaching the palace, took the lead in setting the fire, especially after remembering He Weifang's fear of fire.
The fire at Prince Ning's private warehouse burned all night, causing fear among citizens and prompting inquiries from the Ministry of Revenue. At court, the Emperor was informed. Initially dismissing it as not affecting homes and suggesting Governor Ren handle it, his concern grew when it was mentioned the matter involved He Weifang, Jiang Zhangyang's concubine whose garden had also burned, and that Consort Shu's burned items had been ordered from the Fragrance Garden.
He Weifang, present at court, explained that the consecutive fires targeting a minister's residence, a royal relative's warehouse, and destroying Consort Shu's goods seemed more than coincidence, suggesting someone might be acting against the royal family. Concerned the fires could escalate, potentially reaching even the palace, the Emperor ordered the individuals involved brought in for him to investigate personally. During the investigation, Prince Ning and Governor Ren were questioned.
Prince Ning claimed the black fire oil in his warehouse had been confiscated from a foreign merchant and was temporarily stored before reporting to the Ministry of Revenue, stating a fire accidentally broke out. Governor Ren confirmed the fire burned intensely because of the black fire oil. The Emperor expressed concern about such a dangerous item circulating. When asked if all the oil burned, Prince Ning stated 50 barrels were saved, which the Emperor ordered stored securely.
He Weifang then pointed out that the smell of fire oil on Governor Ren was the same as what she smelled at her garden fire. She explained someone sent a gift to her garden in her name with hidden fire oil, causing the fire. She mentioned Mu Dan's distress and the resulting impact on their business. She stated she had caught the arsonist water bandits, who confessed to using black fire oil.
Prince Ning refuted this, arguing mere water bandits couldn't have infiltrated his heavily guarded warehouse and no theft was reported. He Weifang proposed comparing samples of the oil from both fires to confirm the connection.
